Childcare centres across Australia will close one hour early five times a year starting in February, as part of new mandatory safety training for staff. The federal government announced the measure in response to a surge in abuse allegations within the sector, acknowledging it may inconvenience families but emphasising the need for enhanced child protection.
The training, developed by the Australian Centre for Child Protection, will teach educators how to detect, intervene, and report child abuse. Early Childhood Education Minister Jess Walsh described it as a sensible way to manage new safety requirements, stating it will give staff the confidence to report suspicious behaviour promptly.
Education Minister Jason Clare stressed that keeping children safe is the top priority. Centres must provide advance notice of closures and cannot close earlier than 5pm. The initiative is funded by $40 million from previously allocated government budgets.
The reforms follow a series of high-profile abuse cases, including Joshua Dale Brown, a Melbourne childcare worker charged with sexually abusing eight children under two. Other measures include a CCTV trial in up to 300 centres and a national register of childcare workers, with continuous monitoring of criminal histories via police databases.
An ABC investigation revealed nearly 150 childcare workers convicted, charged, or accused of abuse in recent years, prompting calls for systemic change. The new training aims to prevent such incidents by improving early detection and reporting.
